Coach MK and Coach Sarah livestream a weekly QA session for their runners on The Fitness Protection Facebook page and Twitch. Follow the page and join the fun!

MAINTAIN

So I am not sure if this is more a podcast question or an ATC question or just random thoughts. But I am thinking a lot lately about being socialized not to take up mental, emotional, and physical space. I only did one year of organized sports as a kid and it was soccer. I was in 1st or 2nd grade and small, playing with boys one or two years older. And I had undiagnosed asthma. Oh and then I did a year of cross country in sixth grade (also small) and was SO slow that I came in dead last every practice and every meet. So far last that I almost missed the bus once. So you can imagine what that did to my self assessment of potential. This is not to ask for pity just to provide context. For the last three races I’ve signed up for I’ve backed out really early in the training. I am self sabotaging in the way that Sam Dylan Finch talks about fawning in relationships. The thought of “competing” is almost too much mental burden to comprehend. The thought of coming in last only reinforces the lessons learned from childhood. But I can’t believe the lesson here is, don’t compete. Don’t race. Don’t try. I just think I never really learned HOW to be aggressive/assertive/taking up space confidently in spaces outside of a precisely defined academic setting (because some of those carry this weight too). How does that urge to compete, urge to give myself permission to best someone else, the subverted or suppressed urge - how does it relate to the body conversation we are having? What are the right small steps to take to STOP trying to shrink physically, fit in emotionally, erase myself athletically while still running - I am 44 and I want to give myself permission to be really angry and fight on behalf of myself! In my head I think to compete I need to have perfect preparation to have a right to participate or any chance of “success” (also apparently personally undefined) - and I don’t think that’s right either. But I don’t have ANY idea how to start unpacking all of this besides obviously talking to my therapist about it, and I thought I’d come to my favorite coaches because I DO think it’s part of this larger conversation. Small steps are the key to get from sedentary to rockstar fitness. Small steps are the key to get from poor nutrition to nurturing yourself. What are the small steps to get from doubting a right to take up space in a race to pushing yourself hard and being badass?

I know we've beat summer running to death, but can you talk a little bit about shuffling/walking at whatever snail pace necessary to keep HR low vs. running at 150-155. What's better? Should we do whatever it takes to keep under 140 or is it better to get out there and get moving even if HR is higher than it should be because it's 90F at 5am and it's humid AF!

Starting the on-ramp in a week. Which means I have 11 weeks until my Marathon (insert minor freak out here, okay now I am better 😉). But I’d like to talk about food. I would like to fuel with real food, not gels or blocks. As I age I am finding I have lots more food intolerances. Have either of you (Sarah or MK) had much experience with fueling with homemade or real food alternatives? Thanks to both of you- Kristy

Seeing everyone's race plans is giving me a serious case of FOMO. But I know with some nagging injuries it's much smarter to take it easy this fall and focus on building slowly and getting strong AF. Can you talk a little about being okay with not racing for longer periods (a year or two)...

If we're looking at doing the strength beta in September, I know we're supposed to get serious in August, but how critical is the long run distance in that equation? Ballpark? Minimum?

I am running the Rimaconn relay on August 24 as part of an Ultra team (total of 25 miles on the low end). How should I modify Maintain to incorporate a taper to be ready? And when can I jump back on the plan? I will be participating in Strength Beta, so I still want to be ready for that, as well. Thanks!

When doing the workouts with 5k and 10k pace intervals I have been using my most recent race paces for those distances which is considerably faster than the formula of 140 pace minus 3 minutes. Sometines if those oaces do not feel doable I will back off, but most of the time I am able to hit them. Am I doing myself a disservice training this way? My easy effort pace is about 14:00 minutes per mile, but 11:00 per mile for a 5k effort does not feel difficult at all. I averaged an 8:42 at a 5k this spring, so that is the pace I typically use for those intervals. Of course my heart rate is in the 170s to 180s during those intervals. I wasn't sure if there was a HR cap for the faster intervals.

I have trouble doing the supine plank on my elbows. Is there any problem if I do it up on my hands instead? Am I missing benefits with that difference in form?

What is the recommended time between races when following Dedicated or Tenacious? Debating a half or a full approximately one month after my October race.

Hey Coach MK and Coach Sarah!!! Short question: how many days do I need between my last long run and my race? Longer question with background info: It’s Kara Mayes! I’m running/hiking the Pikes Peak Ascent in 4 weeks! Although it’s “only” 13.3 miles I’m loosely using the marathon ramp plans for my long runs since I expect to take 5+ hours to do it. With crazy weekend schedules in my family I decided to move my long runs to Tuesdays for the next month and maybe forever. So now I’m looking at my last long run being 10 days before my race instead of the 15 days before based on the usual ramp up schedule. Do I need to shorten the last long run to be less than 4 hours if it’s just 10 days ahead of my race? Or keep it 4 hours? Or see what feels good on that day???? Thanks for the answer and thanks for you all being you!!!!

REBUILD

I’m trying lane 2 this month but have not been as successful on it as I was in Lane 1. Successful meaning getting the greens in Training Peaks. I’ve only gotten 2 runs and no strength the last 2 weeks (if it matters, it was Monday and Saturday I completed). Reasons for it were work travel last week and lots of unforeseeable chaos this week. Does this mean my life isn’t ready for Lane 2? What does “75% of the work 90% of the time” actually look like? Is that based on total time or number of workouts or what? I was planning on doing Lane 2 again in August with the hope to move to Maintain in September after school starts and kid bedtimes aren’t so late and weather is cooling. Next week I will try running in the morning since we’re starting to get kid bedtime a little closer to school normal. Ann R.

When should we carry water on runs? How long? Temperature?

I am very afraid to run outside, alone, in the dark in the early mornings. I have no problem running alone in my neighborhood once the sun is up but cannot bring myself to do it in the dark. Usually early mornings are the only time I have to myself. Any strategies for running in the dark and feeling safe? Or am I better off sticking with the treadmill (which is my traditional go-to for 90% of workouts) ? My pace and cadence feel much better on the occasions I am able to run outside and I’d like to be outdoors more often.

Hey Coach MK & The Amazing Coach Sarah- Can you give some suggestions on how to transition a bit more gently from Re-build to Maintain? I started out in Maintain and that was too much so I stepped over to Re-build. I have the plans for both on my “Training Peaks” calendar and when I (for example) compare the Monday workouts, I feel like it is too big of a jump. I’m ready to do more than “Re-build” but “Maintain” seems too much. What do you recommend? Thank you!